Employee pulse surveys are commonly used by companies to gather feedback from employees. These pulse surveys can help leaders get a better sense of employee sentiment, satisfaction, and engagement. The effectiveness of these surveys can vary depending on how they are administered. We believe anonymous surveys produce the best results. Here are the top 5 benefits of using anonymous employee pulse surveys.
1. More Honest Survey Responses
Anonymity allows employees to provide their true and honest responses to your survey questions, without fear of retribution. By gathering more honest feedback, you’re improving the quality of your survey data, and ensuring that you’re getting the best possible picture of the true employee sentiment and engagement at your company.
2. Higher Response Rates
Some employees may not be comfortable bringing up negative or uncomfortable topics with their managers, so providing an anonymous outlet gives a voice to those employees that may be under represented or not represented at all. Higher response rates means you’re engaging with and getting to hear from more of your employees, which leads to more accurate and wholistic information. Research has shown that 75% of people agreed with the statement, “I am more inclined to answer the survey if I am assured of anonymity.” In the same study, 78.3% of people agreed with the statement, “I am more inclined to complete the survey if I am assured that my answers will remain confidential.”
3. Improve Trust with Employees
Utilizing anonymous surveys shows your employees that you truly want to hear honest opinions, and do not wish to judge or punish any employee that may choose to provide negative feedback. When you address the issues identified by the survey, by reinforcing positive actions and addressing negative ones, you further build trust by showing you’re taking the feedback seriously.
4. Increase Employee Retention
When employees feel like their opinions are respected and their feedback is valued, they are more likely to remain with the company. As described above, anonymous surveys show that you care about receiving honest feedback and are focused on getting accurate data and improving the employee experience. This type of culture shows employees that their views are valuable and helps them to feel like they are part of the company’s success.
5. Build Mutual Accountability
By implementing anonymous surveys, you’re demonstrating to your team that you want honest feedback. More than that, you’re also essentially telling your employees that you expect them to give you their true opinions. In the same way, employees should expect you to address the issues that may arise from the surveys. If employees are given the opportunity to provide honest feedback, and they don’t then they should not expect you to magically address any unidentified issues. Similarly, if employees provide you with their honest feedback, and you don’t address any of the issues, then you shouldn’t expect the employees to continue to provide any feedback. By providing the outlet of anonymous surveys, and addressing the issues that are identified, you build a sense of mutual accountability with your team.
Anonymous Surveys are Only One Piece
As we discussed, anonymous pulse surveys provide you with a lot of advantages. However, they should only be one tool in your toolbox. Because you can’t follow up with the specific employees that provided particularly negative feedback, it’s still important to check in with your employees face-to-face, and also monitor trends as you implement new programs and solutions. The results of anonymous pulse surveys provide a more accurate picture than non-anonymous surveys, but you still need to act on the results to ensure that your team will continue to provide you with that valuable feedback.
